An Unexpected Move
by Rosepetalsinthenight
Summary: Some time before the episode "Armageddon", the game starts to break down, its rules are subverted, all the creatures and denizens become nice, and Alan's life changes completely. But even during one of his chess games with Ibsen, he can't help but miss Judy and Peter, who've been away for quite some time... Well, yes, it's the very first Ibsen/Alan fic! No like, no read! ;)


**Hi, everyone! I've NEVER written (nor published) a fanfiction in my life, but I've read thousands, and now I've decided to try it out myself (maybe just once) as the very first "pioneer" for this pairing! I think many of you will be perplexed, but I really don't want to ruin anyone's childhood (it was part of mine, too)! It's just for trying, and to see what other people think of my work. I tried to stay faithful to both characters as much as possible (remember this happens a little before "Armageddon", when Jumanji becomes nice), so... I hope you enjoy!**

 **An Unexpected Move**

"I'm really starting to like this place..." Alan said thoughtfully, looking toward the landscape outside. Yes, it was true: since some time, Jumanji wasn't the same, dark, horrible place he had grown up to know; for some unknown cause, all perils, obstacles and nightmares had mysteriously disappeared.

Now, even the fiercest predators were far too overprotective towards the animals that used to be their preys... Not to mention Van Pelt... freaking _Van Pelt_... who pulled him out from one of his own traps just days before and asked him for help to cover up other holes that could be _a danger_ to _such beautiful jungle creatures_... And how about Trader Slick, who came up with the decision to close his stand, even bad-mouthing his own merchandise, calling it _worthless junk_...?

And now, this. The warm afternoon sunlight, that used to be so ruthlessly hot once, filtered across the large windows of Professor Ibsen's lab. Alan still couldn't believe it: he just sat there, playing a friendly chess game with the man who used to be perhaps his worst nightmare... That sociopath who once had even taken control over all of Jumanji using that pesky and tricky laptop computer Judy and Peter had brought along with them a long time before.

Thinking about the two siblings who had done so much for him, who always were there for him when he most needed them like real friends should do, and who now seemed to have disappeared from his life without reason, Alan couldn't avoid a sigh from escaping his mouth. Had they forgotten about him? Would he ever see them again?

"You seem quite distressed, Mr. Parrish... Would you like to clear your mind before making your next move?", his opponent's polite question suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts, and Alan realized he hadn't even watched which pawn Ibsen had moved.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor, I was just thinking about my friends, Judy and Peter... You see, it's been so long since I last saw them, and... They're like a family to me... Well, not that I don't like being here with you too, but...", Alan didn't know how to finish, as he watched a warm smile lighting Ibsen's face.

"I understand... Perhaps, your young friends decided to take a break from their pleasure trips to see you. They may be busy with their own daily routines... But eventually, they will come back, I'm sure of it."

Alan hoped with all his heart that what the man had said was true.

"Yes... I really hope so... Maybe I'm getting too worried about them, but it's always been like this since I've met them. We faced so many dangers for each other, and together, we always came out of them, no matter how many hardships were thrown at us. Those kids are so brave and special... They're my heroes... My family...!"

He suddenly stopped, feeling tears on the brink of his eyes. Yes, the hell he always had to live through wasn't able to make him cry anymore, but Judy and Peter's absence for such a long time... It was another thing...

"It appears we're going to have to work through your anguish for a while, Mr. Parrish... Your solitary confinement hasn't done much good to you, which is why I've invited you to my humble abode in the first place."

"And I thank you for that, Professor. I'm... really grateful you're listening to me..." It was strange, but Alan had never felt so sad and lonely like that moment. Suddenly, he felt a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"This is the least I can do to comfort you... But tell me... Would you really like to return to your world, leaving me to ponder my pastimes with no other company than the one from my own creations? If only you could let me show you my world, I am sure you would find it quite... interesting..."

Ibsen's hold onto him tightened, as he left his chair, and the gloved hand slowly reached Alan's cheek.

"After all, I myself always seem to find out something new about you, Mr. Parrish... Something that intrigues me and draws me closer to you everytime... You are perhaps the greatest challenge my genius has ever met, and I've always been... How should I put it?... _Captivated_ by a good challenge..."

Alan felt his face being prodded, like Ibsen did the first time they met, when he asked him if he was a creature of his too, and he felt his heart beating faster. Last time, it was for a sense of anxiety and anger, having in front of him the one responsible for almost all the dangers he'd faced; but now, he couldn't find a name for what he was feeling.

It had been such a long time since someone was so kind to him, and in a place so quiet, comfortable and bright...

"You... really think that about me?" he felt a smile forming on his face, that suddenly had gotten so warm... almost hot...

"Absolutely. In my humble estimation, I'm capable of many things... And I could also make you feel oh so much better... I could make you never want to leave Jumanji, I could make you part of my world permanently... That is, if you wish..."

Ibsen's tone was so silky and caressing, as his smile grew even wider. Alan almost thought he'd seen the old predatory gleam in the inventor's goggled eyes, and he slightly flinched back in his chair. Ibsen sighed.

"You always showed no fear in facing my machines, Mr. Parrish... You need not be alarmed by my gestures of affection now..."

Alan saw Ibsen slowly leaning forward, reducing the distance between them, and holding him tight with both hands. He was so close... Too close... What was happening...?

"Professor...?"

A small, light, almost girly chuckle escaped Ibsen's mouth.

 _"My dear_ Mr. Parrish... I simply must run one last test on you..." Alan couldn't move nor react as the soft-spoken scientist's lips closed on his.

 _What... Is this really happening...?_

A cold taste of metal numbed his tongue, and it felt so eerie, if not downright creepy, as many other things about Ibsen were; and yet, at the same time, he just couldn't move away from the touch of that diaphanous skin, the gentle brush of that blonde hair glowing in the sunlight, the coziness of that opulent gentleman's body, and he almost started to feel pleasure from it.

Although no warmth could come from that soulless android, he could feel that warmth increasing within himself, like never before, but, despite this, Alan felt chills running down his spine...

Ibsen rose up, eyes fixed on him and a playful smile, then gracefully moved around him and examined him thoroughly, apparently indifferent to his "subject"'s helplessness as he had always been, stopping right behind Alan, his voice just a whisper in his ear.

"My... oh my... Such verve, bursting with primordial force... I really wish it had been I who made you... If only I were your master, and I could keep you here to my heart's content, and make you do whatever I please..."

Now Alan had started shacking inside and out, as Ibsen's finger played with his beard.

"P-professor... Pl-please... I-I don't think I'm ready for this..."

A sigh and another soft chuckle, and Ibsen finally let go of him, but so very slowly, as he wanted to taste that moment for as long as possible.

"Oh, I have to apologize... I regret to say my instincts got the better of me... I will not allow this again, if it is unpleasant to you"

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I know you were just being nice... I-I just need some fresh air, and maybe think about all this by myself..."

"Very well, then our chess game is postponed. There's no way to run from a challenging opponent, Mr. Parrish..." Ibsen warned him with a smile, giving that last sentence an almost sweet feeling, in place of the subtly dangerous threat his words hid in the past.

Alan reached his house in a state of mind he'd never known before; he was so confused and lost in his thoughts that, if Jumanji suddenly had come back to its old, horrible self, he would've died at least ten times on his way.

What would Judy and Peter have thought of what had just happened? What would they have said?

He realized that he didn't care too much; he was lonely, he had all the right to talk to someone about his thoughts, and who could he get close to? Van Pelt, whom he felt wouldn't have been much company, and inside that stinking hunting lodge of his with that creepy music in the background? Slick, who talked _way_ too much for his liking? Tribal Bob and the other Manjis, who had willingly given up their humanity and hopes, even forgetting the language they used as normal kids?

Although they were practically the opposite from one another, Ibsen had never called him a "dirty savage", not even when they were enemies, and despite the twisted monstrosities his clockwork mind was capable of, he'd always looked much more... delicate and sensitive than the other Jumanji enforcers. Perhaps it was also because, being a scientist, he could remain calm and objective while being relentless in his pursuit at the same time...

And now, like a dousing flame, it was as if the malice he hid behind his mild manners gave out one last spark that afternoon, before definitely fading away, just like it happened to all the evil inside the cursed board game.

The last thought that passed through Alan's mind, as he slipped in the soft bed the three monkeys had so kindly prepared for him, was that if Jumanji had become such a _paradise_... What was the rush to go back...?


End file.
